Once upon a time, there was a precious little girl.
Her friend, the Princess of the Red Rose, was always at her side.
Then one day, her mummy and daddy died suddenly.
The princess too disappeared.
I lay and watched the wreckage burn as the roar of silence defends me. Slowly, robotically, I jerk to my feet. Walking aimlessly; away from the fire, the screaming, the death. My feet bleed and my eyesight blurs, fields give way to trees, and still I walk on. Walk on till I drop, darkness falls.
When next my eyes open, a starry sky greets me. Sitting up I see I am in the middle of a rose garden, a man in a brown coat I had never seen before quietly walks away. Jumping hurriedly to my feet, I chase after him mindlessly. Running down the road, an old dilapidated building looms out from the shadows, towering above me. Slowing my gait to a hesitant walk, I open the creaky wooden gate. The serene silence of the night is broken only by the soft murmur of a voice. Following the sound around the house, I kneel at a window low to the ground, peering in. The man from before, with a gun to his head.
Jumping to my feet, I run to the front door nearly tearing it off the hinges as I tear through his house. Past boarded up doors and blood soaked sacs, finally finding the door to the basement I fly down the stairs. Pushing open the half opened door, I am finally close enough to comprehend what he's been chanting with that gun up to his head. As if fixed in a trance, I walk slowly towards him.
"Stray Dog walks the streets each day, Collecting peas as he walks to and fro: Big peas, small peas, every which kind of pea. Come Monday, he finds a pea. Come Tuesday, he bags the pea. Come Wednesday, he shows the pea to his son. Come Thursday, the pea kicks and screams. Come Friday, he grinds up the pea. Come Saturday, he buries the pea outside: the pea is in the ground. And by Sunday, it can't be found. Good night, young pea. Good night, young pea"
The floorboards creak and he turns to me, lowering the gun. "Ah… welcome home. It's almost bedtime for you" the man stood, walking out. "Good night, Joshua…" he calls out as he locks the door behind him.
Looking around the room; there's a bed with something under the sheets in the center of the room, a stool and a bedside table next to it. A dresser off to the side topped with a ragged stuffed bear donning a green ribbon, a wooden dolls cradle lay in the corner opposite. Walking towards the bed I raised the sheet, raw undulated horror grasped me as I let the sheet fall from my hand. Falling to my knees, I crawl backwards till my back hits the wall, startling me. Tears fall from my eyes as sleep takes me.
She wanted to find a four-leaf clover, but she was too unlucky.
Until one day, when she was sent away to a strange house.
Walking down the late lit halls of the orphanage, my cute puppy, Brown at my heals, I freeze as I hear someone else's footsteps slowly approaching. Hurriedly hiding myself and Brown in the bathroom, I peer out to see who is out so late.
Its Mr Hoffman, Clara trailing despondently behind him. They walk into the old Filth room, Clara's new room, and I wait for Mr Hoffman to leave. Except he doesn't. Minutes roll by and Brown wines, wriggling as he tries to be free of my grasp and Hoffman doesn't leave Clara's room.
Fearing the consequences of Browns impatience, I quietly sneak down moonlit halls. I'm going to be late!
Sir Peter, Sir Peter, bagged and whisked away, before he found a toilet. Good-bye, Peter. Good-bye
At her new home, the Aristocrat Club lived by the Rule of Rose.
But the girl found herself very much alone, until she discovered a wonderful new friend.
Running down the stairs towards our meeting place, Brown trailing after me. Opening the door to the inner courtyard, Wendy was already there waiting for me.
She waved and Brown bounded forwards to greet her, "so this is your new friend, huh? It's so filthy, but adorable." She stopped petting brown and looked up at me, "oh, yes. Jennifer, their will an Aristocrat club meeting after this. Today will be the most wonderful day." She turned back to Brown, "I hope you enjoy it."
The girl and her companion obeyed the Rule of Rose.
For in the Aristocrat Club the Rule of Rose was absolute, as was the word of the Princess of the Red Rose.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Countess refused to like her.
Opening the final box, I looked upon Eleanor's bird, torn to shreds. Soft footsteps behind me have me turning, gasping as I see Eleanor.
"It wasn't me, honest!" I try to explain, but she ignores me. Grabbing the remains of her beloved bird, she turns and walks off. Following behind her, I watch her dump his lifeless body into the gift box and walk away.
The moral: everlasting happiness is a joke.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Baroness punished her still.
Opening the grandfather clock, Mary the goat falls out along with a mass of crumpled notes. Free of impediment, the pendulum swings and the clock strikes twelve. Picking up Mary I notice rough stitching to her underside, tearing it I finally find the second half of Megs letter.
"There you are," a cold voice says, turning I see Eleanor pointing at me.
"There you are," Diana mimics, waving Meg in before waltzing in and putting her hands on her hips.
Meg looks at me in confusion for a moment, till recognition and anger set in, "why do YOU have it!?" Ripping the letter haves from my hands Meg throws herself into Diana and sobs, "how could she? How could she do that to me? What did I ever do to her? I can't get along with girls like her…" Turning her head to glare at me, she growled though tears, "Its into the onion bag for her…"
Even "true love" is quickly shredded by conflict.
The girl obeyed the Rule of Rose, but the Duchess taunted her anew.
"Jennifer! Find Diana and tell her to report to me in the headmaster's room! now!" Mr Hoffman barked before storming into the reception room. Eleanor and Meg glanced at each other, then at me before running into the headmaster's room, closing the door behind them.
After finding Diana, and sending her Hoffman's way, I kneel at the hall door to spy through the keyhole.
"What in blazes…!? Just WHO did this!? Who made this mess!?" Hoffman roared, slapping his pointer against his palm as Diana sobbed. Bending so he was level to her, he put his hand on Diana's head and asked, "was it you? Go on, tell me."
Walking behind her, he put his hands to her shoulders, "Answer me, Diana." His body sliding around her to paw down her front, her sobbing grew louder, "no new mummy or daddy will ever want you, if you don't like that. Now, now, I wont be angry. Just answer me."
Growling, He tore her hands from her weeping eyes, "it was you, wasn't it? You were in charge, after all." Leaning away from her to fully take in her distraught state, he sighed. Walking away from her, towards the door. Backing away quickly, as to not be caught, I winced as a floorboard creaked beneath me. Standing still as a statue, I strain my ears. Hearing a door slam, I relax, he left through the door conjoined to the reception room.
Opening the door, Diana is trembling by the empty fish tank. However hearing my entrance, she makes a show of wiping the imagined filth of his hands from herself, screeching, "yuck! How disgusting." Turning to me, she glares, "oh, now I see. It was you. It was your fault that I got in trouble! Give it here!" she snarls, grabbing a filthy forgotten rag from my hands. Turning to collect the mutilated koi from Hoffman's bed she dropped the fish back into his tank and soaked the rag.
"Oh my, I see a stain! I've got to clean it up, or Mr Hoffman will be angry with me," she growled, shoving the cloth into my face and tackling me into Hoffman's bed.
I am yours, even in death.
And yet, the girl and her friend were still faithful to the Rule of Rose.
Walking through the trees that surround the orphanage, I sigh as I look for the hill Amanda took me to apologize. Noting a thinning of the trees ahead, I run forwards smiling as the trees give way to a clearing with a distinct hill in its center. Though my smile falters as I find I was right about Amanda being here. Her violently beating something with a stick until she exhausts herself, was unexpected. Panting heavily, she turns, a malicious smirk on her face as she giggles perversely. Suddenly realizing that she is no longer alone, Amanda gasps, throwing the stick behind her and curtsying. Walking slowly towards me.
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine really. I'm not upset at all," Amanda hisses, reaching out and grabbing hold of my hand. I flinch and jump away, she glares.
"oh Jennifer… You know what?" she asks as she turns and bends to get something from out of a sack. Turning to me, thrusting out a ragged stuffed bear donning a green ribbon, "I've got something special… Look! Isn't he cute? Here, it's yours! Give it as a gift, and you'll be miss popular again!" She declares, shoving him into my arms, pushing me back.
Turning and laughing manically, she ran back up the hill, and I trailed wordlessly behind her. Watching as she picked her stick back up and continued beating whatever it was she was beating before I arrived. Moving to see the recipient of Amanda's rage, I felt ill. A creepy doll in an ash grey dress, a creepy doll meant to resemble myself.
And thus, the Rag Princess and the girl in the rag dress became play pals.
The Princess of the Red Rose found this all very dull.
And so, she issued a Rule of Rose for the final time.
The girl was to sacrifice her very special friend.
And when she did, she became a princess.
Walking towards the aristocrat club slowly, guilt gnawed at my stomach as I saw the poster on the door, 'THIS WEEKS GIFT: FILTHY BROWN.' Opening the door, I slowly walk inside, falling to my knees in horror before the giggling aristocrats. The princess of the red rose, Wendy, slowly rises from her throne and stops, just in front of me.
Amanda wattles towards me gleefully with a perverse smile on her face to whisper in my ear, "your friend is in the bag. Its too late now." looking off where she pointed, my eyes fall upon a large bloodied bag.
I gasp, and sob, clenching my fist I stand before them and glare. Walking towards Wendy with a jarring gait, I force my words through my teeth, "my friend…give me back my friend!" I snarl, Slapping her hard enough to knock her to the ground. Straddling her, I punctuate each word to escape my mouth with a slap, "liar! Go away! Just go away!" Lowering my face so i'm but inches from her, I hiss, "i'll never forgive you, not ever!"
Forcing myself to my feet, I glare at the rest of the so called 'aristocrats,' "and as for the rest of you! How could you believe all those lies?" Raising a hand to point at Diana, I cried, "aristocrats? You're just the opposite!" Turning my glare down the line of orphans, "I hate you! and I hate you! and you!"
Lowering my hand, I snarled, "and I hate myself the very most! For playing your stupid games! And for not having the strength to stand up to you!" I ripped the brooch Wendy gave me off of my clothes, the orphans all took a step back as I held it up in my fist, "it's all so hideous!" I cry throwing the pin at the ground. Watching silently as Wendy pulled herself off the ground and ran off crying.
Well, I wouldn't want to be her best friend!
A lonely little Princess, burdened by the Rule of Rose.
Tears fall down my face as their echoing screams are taken by silence. Emotionally numb, I open the chamber and leave the grandfather clock. Wandering to the entrance, I leave the orphanage for the last time. Bypassing the corpses of children, I walk towards the only other living being on the property.
Kneeling, surrounded by the dead, was the man, sans the brown coat. Looking at me he whispered, "I'm sorry, Joshua…" raising a gun to his head, he smiled as he shoot himself.
Turning away, I ran. Collapsing in the rose garden he left me in the first time, sobbing.
Except this time, it was no lie at all, and so they were all gobbled up. The End
The woeful Princess put her memories under lock and key,
forever and ever.
Everlasting, True Love, I Am Yours.